Submitted by philip on Thu, 06/05/2014 - 14:27 Phil Robertson and his oldest son Alan will highlight an Outdoor Extravaganza on Sept. 6 sponsored by First Bossier and Cypress Baptist of Benton. By Brian Blackwell Message Staff Writer BOSSIER CITY -Phil Robertson, better known as the Duck Commander, is coming to the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City and the goal is to see many lost people come to Christ Sept. 6. Phil and son Alan Robertson, recently introduced on the hit A&E show as "the beardless brother," will highlight an Outdoor Extravaganza featuring giveaways and exhibits by the nation’s top outdoor vendors. “Phil and Alan Robertson will entertain, inspire and without apology, share the reason for all they do in life—the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Jerry Pipes, executive pastor at First Baptist Bossier City. “Our prayer is that families will be strengthened and that scores of hurting people will find hope through beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ.” Tickets go on sale at 12:01 am on June 25 but churches can reserve group delete tickets prior to that by calling Jake Wood at 318.747.2501. Any group tickets not paid for by the end of the day on June 24 will be available for general admission … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 06/13/2014 - 11:42 Newly elected 2014 officers of the Southern Baptist Convention are: (left to right) Jim Wells, registration secretary; John L. Yeats, recording secretary; Ronnie Floyd, president; Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., first vice president; and Hance Dilbeck, pastor of Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Okla., second vice president. BALTIMORE (BP) – Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention elected Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd as president and heard repeated calls for prayer and revival – highlighted by outgoing President Fred Luter’s presidential sermon. Messengers also gave the first of two required approvals to an amendment of the SBC constitution, requested information about a Muslim student who was admitted to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and heard Executive Committee President Frank S. Page call for a “Great Commission Advance” in SBC missions. The June 10-11 convention’s 5,294 messengers marked an increase from 5,103 in Houston last year. It is a three percent bump from last year’s meeting. Virginia had more messengers than any other state at the Baltimore convention with 497. Maryland was second … [Read more...]

RICHMOND, Va. – Southern Baptists gave an unprecedented $154 million to the 2013 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, breaking the record for the largest total in the offering’s 125-year history. The 2013 offering, finalized June 5, reached $154,057,852.36. The total represents an increase of nearly $4.8 million over 2012, or 3.2 percent. It tops the previous record, $150.4 million in 2007, by more than $3.6 million, and marks the fourth increase since 2008. “This gives us an opportunity to reflect on the incredible generosity of Southern Baptists over many years,” said IMB President Tom Elliff on behalf of the missionaries. “The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering represents well over half of our budget each year, so those who give sacrificially and out of concern for the lost can be assured that an enormous portion of all that happens overseas can be directly tied to their support. “It’s estimated that close to 1 billion people living now are very likely to go through life without ever hearing the Gospel in such a fashion that they can understand it and respond to it in faith,” Elliff said. “Our missionaries are ‘chasers after darkness.’ We’re looking for those dark corners of the world where the light of the … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 06/13/2014 - 11:47 Cypress Baptist Church in Benton and First Baptist Bossier City are sponsoring an Outdoor Extravaganza that will feature Phil Robertson, better known as the Duck Commander, at that CenturyLink Center in Bossier City on Sept. 6. Area pastors met at First Bossier for the event announcement. Pictured are (left to right) John Fream, pastor of Cypress Baptist; Brad Jurkovich, pastor of First Bossier; Larry Lott, a member of Cypress Baptist and one of the event organizers; and Jerry Pipes, executive pastor of First Bossier. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BOSSIER CITY – Phil Robertson, better known as the Duck Commander, is coming to the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City and the goal is to see many lost people come to Christ Sept. 6.   Phil and son Alan Robertson, recently introduced on the hit A&E show as “the beardless brother,” will highlight an Outdoor Extravaganza featuring giveaways and exhibits by the nation’s top outdoor vendors. “Phil and Alan Robertson will entertain, inspire and without apology, share the reason for all they do in life—the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Jerry Pipes, executive pastor at First Baptist Bossier City. “Our prayer is that … [Read more...]

Leslie Palmer, wife of Seventh Metro Baptist Church pastor Ryan Palmer, prays for community members June 7 outside the church building in Baltimore as part of the Southern Baptist Convention outreach initiative Crossover Baltimore. The church, where legendary SBC missionary Annie Armstrong was baptized, relaunched on Sunday, June 8, after the evangelistic events on Saturday. By Adam Miller, Tobin Perry and Joe Conway, Baptist Press BALTIMORE, Md. (BP) -- Dante Carter wanted Crossover Baltimore to communicate compassion to the hurting people he often encounters in the city. "There's a lot of hurt and pain...," Carter, youth pastor at Northeast Baptist Church (NBC) in the heart of the Armistead Gardens community, said. "We want to give people an opportunity to hear the Gospel preached and to experience the love of Christ through the people of our church." Northeast Baptist was one of 36 Baltimore-area Baptist churches that joined arms with nearly 2,000 volunteers from 18 states and Canada to serve the Baltimore community and share Christ with its residents during Crossover. The event preceded the beginning of the 2014 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting taking place June 10-11 in the city. Joined by volunteers from … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 06/13/2014 - 11:58 David Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., speaks during the first session of the 2014 Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference June 8-9 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The theme of the conference is "Show us Your glory." BALTIMORE (BP) -- Pastors, churches and the convention must catch a glimpse of God's glory to fuel their mission, speakers said at the 2014 Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference in its first two sessions June 8-9. The annual conference preceding the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting was held this year at the Baltimore Convention Center focusing on the theme "Show Us Your Glory" from Moses' prayer in Exodus 33. The 2014 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference, themed "Show Us Your Glory," concluded much as it began with speakers calling attendees to live passionately for Christ and to lead others to make disciples. RONNIE FLOYD Southern Baptists must be known for the power and glory of God in their midst in order to fulfill their mission, Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd said in the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference opening session Sunday night. Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 06/13/2014 - 12:02 During the June 11 Ethics & Religious Liberty Committee presentation, ERLC president Russell D. Moore presents an award to the wife of Saeed Abedini, an American pastor who is imprisoned for his Christian faith in Iran. Abedini received the Richard Land Award for Distinguished Service for "faithfully serving the Lord Jesus Christ ... despite the risk that was involved." His wife Naghmeh received the award on his behalf and received a standing ovation from messengers. Newly elected SBC president Ronnie Floyd then led messengers in a prayer for the imprisoned pastor. By Tom Strode, Baptist Press BALTIMORE (BP) -- Members of two families who are standing heroically for the Christian faith received awards from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and grateful affirmation from messengers to the 2014 Southern Baptist Convention. The ERLC honored the Greens, who own Hobby Lobby, and Saeed Abedini, a prisoner in Iran, Wednesday morning (June 11) during the SBC's annual meeting. ERLC President Russell D. Moore presented the John Leland Religious Liberty Award to Steve and Jackie Green for their family's refusal to abide by the Obama administration's … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 06/13/2014 - 12:04 Southern Baptist Convention messengers adopted nine resolutions during the two-day SBC annual meeting at the Baltimore Convention Center and elected Ronnie Floyd as their new president. By Shawn Hendricks, Baptist Press BALTIMORE (BP) -- An update to the SBC constitution regarding qualifications for churches to send messengers to the annual meeting was adopted during the Executive Committee's report to the convention June 11 in Baltimore. Describing the recommendation as "small church friendly," EC chairman Ernest Easley said the proposal to revise Article III is a response to a motion from last year's annual meeting in Houston that requested updating messenger qualifications. It was the 16th motion in the past 35 years to call for a reevaluation of Article III. Messengers adopted the recommendation without debate or questions from the floor. In order to officially revise Article III, the recommendation will need to be approved by messengers a second time during the 2015 annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. "The Executive Committee floated the recommendation out across the convention the last several months in order to build consensus which has really proved beneficial in … [Read more...]